DRO: Do you
think it's currently possible for someone to
cheat with nitrous in Pro Stock?

Anderson:
It probably is. I guess if I look around at
what was going on back then, what they look
for when they check cars I don't see it a lot
different now, so I guess if it was going on
back then, it could be going on now. But do
I think it is now? No. But I also didn't think
it was going on back then.

I'm not a skeptical one; I just don't think
like that. I think everyone is doing a good
job. If they go out and win they are working
hard and doing a good job. I've certainly never
done it, and I don't think its out there, but
I don't know for sure.

DRO: Aren't
the teams smarter now and perhaps better able
to skirt rules without getting caught?

Anderson:
I would imagine they probably are. We're hands
on and if you wanted to spend all your time
trying to figure out ways around the rules you
probably could. There's people smart enough
in this class to do it, that's for sure. Most
of us hardcore racers, though, don't think that
way. You don't want to do it that way, you want
to do it fair and square.

DRO: Are you
satisfied with NHRA's inspectors and the inspection
process?

Anderson:
I guess I'm satisfied. Do I wish it was better,
stronger, bigger, more like NASCAR where they
have 50 inspectors and certain ones watch a
particular car all day long? Do I wish it was
like that? Yeah, I guess so, because that would
eliminate anybody

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from
having the gumption to go out and do something
wrong.

So, the better you can make that tech department,
the less chance there is of that happening and
I'm all in favor of that. All those years with
Warren (Johnson), I knew he raced straight up
and square and didn't want to win any other
way. That's the way I am too. That's the way
I'll always be. But I can't guarantee that's
the way 100 percent of the people out there
race.

Some of the newcomers coming in think that
Warren must have cheated all those years or
that I must be cheating, so it's okay if they
do it. For those type of guys you are darn right
I wish we had better security, a better tech
dept, better whatever. NHRA has the same problem
as the racers, in that there is only so much
budget to go around. It all comes down to that.
That's why we have to keep growing the sport
better together, better so that more dollars
come into so we can make the tech dept stronger
just like everything else.

DRO: Has your
relationship with your competitors changed significantly
over the last couple of years?

Anderson:
Yeah, I probably found out who my two friends
were. I used to be the most friendly guy out
there. I was always friendly with everybody
and every other racer seemed to like me, and
now since we've had success, and everybody is
throwing comments and jabs at you, yeah that
wears on you and you don't like it. You find
out who your true friends are and it comes down
to the fact that there aren't too many true
friends out there. They either want something
from you or to learn something from you. I guess
they are not my friends. I haven't changed,
but they have.

DRO: Does
that hurt your feelings?

Anderson:
I'd be a liar if I said it doesn't. I'm trying
to not let it affect the way I operate and the
way I race. I'm an honest guy, I'm a hard-working
guy, I've never taken anything the easy way
or the cheap way, so I guess that's why it hurts
because I'm not one of them; I don't do that.
If I were one of them -- if a cheater accuses
a cheater of something it doesn't bother either
one of them -- but when you're not that way
I guess it bothers you.